Sometimes, the future should stay unknown
by Cas di Angelo
Summary: Something is up with Coricopat, and he's not telling. No matter what Tantomile tries, she can't get him to spill the beans on a vision he had... one he doesn't like.
1. Chapter 1

Tantomile lay on an old couch, sunning herself in the late afternoon. Of course, Coricopat was there, perched on the arm of the furniture looking sour.

"You'll feel better if you tell me." Tantomile said, gazing at her brother.

Coricopat huffed, turning away, making Tantomile roll her eyes. As close as she could guess, he'd gotten a vision of the future he wasn't happy about. But no matter how hard she badgered him, he wasn't telling.

Tantomile's mind wandered as she thought of ways to cheer up her brother. A dozen different locations popped into her head, each shoved out by the next. The barn, the old hollow tree in the field, a rope swing by the creek… Tantomile smiled. She knew what to do.

Knowing Cori would follow out of habit, the mottled queen led her brother out of the junkyard, greeting Pouncival—who was near the entrance, standing watch—on their way out.

=^..^=

Coricopat watched his sister carefully as they wound their way through massive piles of junk. He knew she would try to cheer him up, but the bitter taste (yes, visions of the future include all the senses) of his vision was still fresh in his mouth.

They got to the gate, where a brown and white tom was keeping watch. Coricopat drew back as he realized it was Pouncival, hissing slightly at the other tom. Tantomile shot a glance at him, a question dancing in her yellow eyes. Cori quickly corrected his behavior… his sister didn't need to know what the future had in store for her.

=^..^=

Rolling under a gap in a wooden fence, Tantomile smiled at Coricopat. They were finally at their destination; a miniature golf course that was seldom used by the humans anymore. Tantomile grinned at her brother, flicking an old dirty ball towards him. Giving in to their inner kittens, the two began to play.


	2. Chapter 2

Pouncival stared off into space, oblivious to the tall black and white tom approaching from behind. Alonzo waved a paw in front of Pouncival's face, sending him crashing down from whatever fantasy he'd been lost in.

"Everything quiet?" Alonzo asked.

Pouncival nodded. "Cori and Tanto left a while back, but I didn't bother to ask where they were going… Coricopat looked rather sour."

Alonzo leaned back, watching the sky as it gradually darkened. "Probably 'cause he didn't get to dance with anyone but his sister last night." The two toms snickered lightly. Coricopat had, of course, asked several queens to dance with him, but they had either been asked already, or they were too weirded out by him to say yes.

"Anyway, I don't think they'll get into any trouble, what with those visions of theirs." Pouncival yawned and stretched, arching his back. Alonzo raised his eyebrow as he heard several pops along the smaller tom's spine.

"How long have you been sitting here?" Alonzo asked, concerned for his friend.

Pouncival scrunched his nose, going slightly cross-eyed as he thought back to his day. "Since noon, I think?"

Alonzo shook his head. "Get back to your den. I'll take over from here."

Nodding gratefully, Pouncival stood and stretched as he realized how tired he was.

=^..^=

Coricopat had to admit, his sister knew just how to cheer him up. They had spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening at the run-down golf course, chasing each other around the place until they were both out of breath and collapsed on the ground.

At first, he couldn't remember what had made him so grumpy in the first place. But then, as if on cue, the vision reappeared, and Coricopat had to watch his sister in pain over and over again, as if the vision had no desire to be forgotten.

Coricopat squeezed his eyes shut, hoping Tantomile wouldn't notice his threatening tears. But she noticed. She always noticed.

=^..^=

Her sides heaving from exhilaration and laughter, Tantomile lay back on the over-grown grass, grinning at her brother. He was just as winded and jovial. They lay together, gazing up at the sky to watch the stars appear.

Tantomile suddenly noticed a change in Coricopat. His eyes clouded over, and despair was plain on his face; he was having a vision. She watched him try to fight his way out of it, try to stop the revelation, but to no avail. Soon his eyes were clear, and he turned away, back to his grumpy self.


	3. Chapter 3

Munkustrap stretched in his den, feeling for his mate, Demeter. He sat up, looking around. She wasn't there. Worried, the tribe protector darted off through the moonlit junkyard.

He ran into Pouncival, who had taken a more round-a-bout way getting back to his den.

"Have you seen Demeter?" Munkustrap asked the brown and white tom.

Pouncival nodded. "She's out near the entrance, talking with Alonzo. She came by a bit ago, asking where he was…" Pouncival stopped as he realized he was talking to the air. Shaking his head, he continued to his den.

=^..^=

"… all I'm asking is why you did it?" Demeter didn't sound too happy with Alonzo. Munkustrap stayed a little ways back, curious about their conversation. Alonzo didn't look too happy with himself either. He shifted uncomfortably on his perch.

"It was only a dare. Besides," he tried to gather his courage. "It was Admetus who did it, not me."

Demeter rolled her eyes. "But according to him, you were the one who suggested it."

Alonzo grimaced. If she'd already gone to Admetus about their prank, there was no way she'd believe him… Admetus would rather be caught dead than lie to a queen.

"OK," He wilted. There was no use hiding any secret from Demeter. "We just wanted to have a bit of fun."

"Fun?" Demeter glared at him. "You call dressing up as Macavity a bit of _fun_?"

"Whats this all about?" Munkustrap decided it was time to make his entrance. Demeter didn't answer him; she just huffed angrily and stormed back to their den. He turned to Alonzo. "What did she mean, dress up as Macavity?"

Alonzo looked sheepishly at his foot paws, trying to think of a way to explain himself. His eyes flickered towards a movement at the gate, and he almost melted with relief. "It's Coricopat and Tantomile!"

Munkustrap glanced at the twins, mesmerized by their synchronized movements. Alonzo took his chance and disappeared, knowing full well he'd have to explain later.

=^..^=

Tantomile smiled at the tribe protector, watching Alonzo flit away. She heard herself and Coricopat speaking as one, "Harmless fun. They didn't mean anything by it."

As they slinked away, Tantomile wondered at the statement. Just because they said things that were mysterious to everyone else, didn't mean they understood all of it.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, everyone in the junkyard was awoken by a piercing scream. Pouncival was the first to arrive on scene.

Demeter was trying her best to fight off a tall ginger tom, who was attempting to stifle the screams coming from the black and gold queen.

All the cats were there now, hissing at Macavity, some of them lashing out if he got too close. Pouncival, trying to be brave, flung himself at Macavity's exposed back, clawing at him and trying to stay on. With an evil grin, Macavity let go of Demeter and fell backwards, landing squarely on Pouncival.

Macavity left the injured tom moaning on the ground, glancing around for Demeter. She was now safe in Munkustrap's arms, and the other cats from the tribe began to surround him. Hissing madly, Macavity darted away from the junkyard, resolving to collect his prize later.

=^..^=

Munkustrap had called all the toms to a meeting right after Macavity's attack, and a decision was made. All the toms who were able would go with Munkustrap to find the Hidden Paw's layer, with Mungojerrie leading the way; he'd regrettably admitted to working there for a while.

Tantomile watched her brother sadly. He was to be included in the hunting party, and she didn't know when she would see him again. Her eyes clouded over, and she was immersed in the future. _A long time had passed, and the toms were finally coming home. Tantomile was overjoyed to see that her brother was returning alive, and was strangely excited and bubbly…_ Tantomile blinked, and the vision was gone.

"First snow, then." she murmured, remembering the sharp cold that had been all around.

=^..^=

As the toms prepared to set off, Munkustrap noticed Pouncival trying to sneak into the group. He stopped the injured cat, frowning at him.

"It would be better if you stayed here, Pouncival." Munkustrap said, gently pulling Pounce away. The small tom cringed slightly as the motion hurt his back.

"I want to fight!"

Munkustrap chuckled at his antics. "You did very well today, but what if someone threatened the tribe? Who would be able to defend the queens?"

Pouncival thought about this for a moment. "What if I stay, and make sure no one here gets hurt?"

Munkustrap beamed at the young tom. "What an excellent idea!" he raised his voice. "While we are gone, I name Pouncival tribe protector."

Everyone applauded, some of the younger queens snickering at Pouncival's ridiculous posture; he was standing as tall as he could, with his chest puffed out with pride.

=^..^=

Tantomile nuzzled her brother. "Be safe."

Coricopat hesitated. "And you," His eyes clouded over briefly, and he scowled. Would that vision never stop taunting him?

"Tell me what you saw." Tantomile sat back, watching Coricopat intensely.

"You first." Coricopat hadn't missed the split second when his twin had blanked out.

"I—I can't. If I told you, it would change what is to come…" she trailed off as she realized why Cori wasn't telling. His vision had something to do with her, she could guess that much. "Fine, I get it." She rolled her eyes at the grim satisfaction on his face.

Finally, Munkustrap and Mungojerrie were ready to lead the others. The toms trudged out of the junkyard, waving to their family and loved ones until they were out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Tantomile made her way back to her den, feeling oddly alone without Coricopat in sync with her. The other queens were noticeably quieter. Tantomile changed courses, heading for the center of the junkyard.

The large clearing seemed to be on everyone's mind, and when Tantomile was joined by Cassandra, Exotica, and Bombalurina, she found she didn't mind the company.

"I'm glad the ball was just a few days ago," Bomba said, cleaning imaginary dirt off her claws.

"It would have been postponed," Cassandra said. "We can't exactly have a ball without the toms."

Exotica giggled. "But we could have all gone with Pouncival," The other queens laughed softly, glancing over to where Pouncival was now dressed up in a leftover pollicle costume, and was parading around the clearing… occasionally falling over because of his back.

Tantomile watched his movements. No matter how he walked, it seemed he was always leaning to the right. Her eyes clouded over briefly and she suddenly knew what to do.

Walking up to the ridiculous tom, Tantomile said, "Lay on your stomach."

Pouncival seemed surprised at her sudden approach; as did the rest of the queens in the clearing.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

Tantomile rolled her eyes. "You have a dislocated shoulder. I can fix it, but only if you lay on your stomach."

Pouncival turned bright red, but he gingerly lowered himself to the ground. Now all present were watching with mild interest. Tantomile gripped his forearm, placing her other paw firmly next to his shoulder joint.

"I'm going to count to three," she said in a soothing voice, "And pop it back into place."

"OK," Pouncival tried to keep himself from whimpering.

"It's going to hurt," Tantomile watched his face, trying to keep from laughing at his expression. It seemed he was trying hard not to show any weakness… it wasn't really working.

"OK," Tantomile refocused on his shoulder. "One… two…" She snapped his shoulder back into place, earning a loud yelp from the tom. "Three." She sat back, watching Pouncival rotate his shoulder a couple of times.

He glared at her accusingly. "You said you'd count to three!"

Tantomile raised her eyebrows. "I did. What I didn't say was when I would fix your shoulder."

Pouncival blushed deep scarlet as the queens around him burst into laughter. In attempt to save face, he scampered off through the junkyard.

=^..^=

Pouncival sat alone just inside the junkyard. His thoughts wandered as he massaged his sore shoulder, and he found himself thinking of Tantomile. What was it about her? He'd always been intimidated by her and Coricopat, but then, who hadn't? He wondered how she was dealing with the absence of a constant companion.

Shaking his head, Pouncival forced his thoughts elsewhere. After all, Tumblebrutus was wrong. Never in a million years would he have a crush on Tantomile.


	6. Chapter 6

Tantomile needed to get out of the junkyard. She wandered away from the only place she called home, going further and further into the countryside. Soon she was in a familiar field, and she resolved to nap in the old hollow tree that stood alone in the middle of the long grass.

She nimbly climbed the tree, curling up in the cozy hollow she and Cori had found. With the comfort that no one could be watching, Tantomile let tears flow freely down her face.

=^..^=

Pouncival stormed away from the junkyard, his face burning with shame. Jemima and Etcetera had made fun of him being the only tom in the junkyard, and he wanted nothing more than to be alone.

His destination was a circle of small boulders and tree stumps under a large oak tree. He and Tumblebrutus—along with Alonzo, Admetus, and Plato—had made the spot sacred to them. The toms would come and talk to each other about whatever was on their mind, and what was spoken stayed there.

He leaned his back against his usual spot, staring around at the empty circle. He closed his eyes, imagining his brother and friends there.

"Tumble, I need your help," he said, speaking aloud. It helped a lot. "It's not easy being the only tom here, and those dumb queens make sure I don't forget it. I got so embarrassed when Tantomile fixed my shoulder! I know you would have done it for me, but you would do it in our den. _She_ did it in front of all the others!" he was silent for a moment, listening to the wind play in the tall grass. "I still say you're wrong. She's not my type."

He stared up at the clouds, and was silent for a long time, pretending to listen to his brother lecture him.

"What do you mean 'give her a chance'? Just because she's the only queen without a tomfriend or mate doesn't mean I should do something about it! Munk left me a job to do, and I'm not going to distract myself with a relationship." Pouncival was silent for a bit, pretending to listen again. "I guess you're right about that… Fine. I'll get back to the junkyard." He stood, brushing dirt off his coat and headed back to the tribe.

=^..^=

Tantomile watched Pouncival go, her mottled fur helping her blend into the shadow of the tree perfectly.


	7. Chapter 7

The junkyard became strangely quiet over the next few weeks. Pouncival was hardly seen at all, except for the occasional moment when he would check on the queens. By some unspoken consent, they all made make-shift dens in or around the central clearing.

Tantomile watched her friends from under an old car, her mind too active to let her get some sleep. Bombalurina was teaching some dance moves to the younger queens, and was quickly becoming frustrated.

"No! You need to relax," she lectured Jemima and Electra. "make your limbs loose, and _then_ you can you can have control."

"I thought you said to flex our muscles to have control?" Etcetera was not enjoying the lesson.

"Show us how you dance for Tugger!" Victoria suggested, also bored of the lesson.

Something flashed across Bomba's face; Tantomile recognized it as pain. "I can't. Not unless he's here." Without another word, the red queen strutted off to her den, leaving four confused kittens in her wake.

"She always did it before…" Jemima said, staring off after Bomba.

"Maybe she won't because there's no Tugger to dance _for_?" Electra wondered. The four queen kits fell silent, each of them worried about the toms.

Tantomile wriggled out from under the car, planning to go back to the old oak tree for some silence. She had found that being in such an open space allowed her to clear her mind, and more often than not, she could sense what her brother was doing.

=^..^=

Munkustrap crouched at the head of a massive hoard of cats. Recruiting hadn't been too hard; all they had to do was mention their hatred for Macavity, and whomever they were talking to would volunteer.

A heavily scarred queen darted up to the silver tabby.

"Oi vey," she said, crouching beside Munkustrap. "I think 'e's go' more cats in there than I've evah seen in m' life."

Munkustrap rolled his eyes. "That isn't exactly helpful, Castelia."

The brown patched queen punched his arm. Munkustrap rubbed the spot, certain a bruise would appear by morning. She glared at him with her intense blue-green eyes. "Call me 'Lia' or 'Cas', _don' _call me by my full name." She turned back to watch the cats behind them. They were in a junk-strewn field next to a warehouse, and to the casual observer, it was a lifeless wasteland. But Castelia's keen eyes picked out the clusters of cats waiting to move.

"Remembah that I'm helpin' you because I want t' live in tha' junkyard o' yours." She said to Munkustrap as she bounded off through the field to find a mouthful of food.

=^..^=

Mungojerrie woke up to a pair of pale yellow eyes.

"Cripes, Cori! You don' hafta wake me up like tha'!" Jerrie hissed. A snicker from his other side told him his cousin was back from her patrols. "So, Lia, wha's th' repor'?"

Castelia wrinkled her nose. "'E musta seen us comin'. I swear there're more cats in there since we worked for 'im, Jer."

Coricopat watched the two in silence. He'd never gotten the hang of understanding their strange accents. A rumble from his stomach distracted him.

"Castelia," Cori said, catching the rough queen's attention. He was the only one she allowed to call her by her full name. He continued. "I'm going to the nearby town to go hunting." He meant it to be an invitation, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Castelia cocked her head. "Would you be likin' some company? Ole Munk wouldn' be too 'appy if'n anyone lef' on their own."

Coricopat nodded, and the two were gone in an instant.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thanks to all who've reviewed so far! I was going to do this at the beginning of chapter 7, but I completely forgot… oh well. And YAY for the __only__ OC that will appear in this story! Hehe, I can't say the same for any other fics I write!_

_**Insanemistosingsmore:**__ You get 1,000 hypothetical cupcakes (or cookies or pies or whatever suits your fancy) for reviewing first! You like my style? Danka! And also, Castelia is the OC… She is battle-wise, and would actually punch hard enough to cause a bruise… she doesn't like her full name much if you can't tell!_

_**Misterfleas:**__ I actually wanted to see what I could do to make myself like them more… whenever I watch the movie they kind of give me the creeps the way they move together. I actually haven't really decided if they end up together or not… it sure looks like it's going that way, but things might… change ;)_

_**Rumpleteazah:**__I'll be sure to post the next few chapters quickly!_

Tantomile was running. Ahead of her, she saw scores of cats snarling and clawing at each other. As she ran through the battle, she recognized several toms from her tribe. Alonzo was trying to fight off three bigger toms by himself, giving as good as he got.

Her yellow eyes darting around the fray, Tantomile searched for her brother. He was in the thickest part of the battle, fighting alongside Mungojerrie and a brown patchy queen. Tantomile frowned when she saw that he had bits of cloth wrapped around his torso that were soaked with blood. She started towards him, to tell him off for not resting his injuries, but found that she couldn't move. No matter how fast she pumped her legs, she stayed in one place…

Tantomile woke up, panting heavily. Her paw shot instantly for Cori's spot on their bed, only to remember that he was not there. Shaking herself, she peered out of the den at the starry sky. That hadn't just been a dream, and she knew it. She'd had a vision in her sleep. She shuddered as she remembered the maddened look on most of the cats she'd seen.

"I just need to walk," She mumbled to herself, setting off through the junkyard. She didn't want to leave, but she wandered until she was staring at the large wooden gates that separated the junkyard from the rest of the world.

"You shouldn't be up this late."

Tantomile spun around, seeing Pouncival reclining on a television set. He returned his gaze to the road beyond the gate. "There were some nasty looking pollicles sniffing around out there."

Tantomile raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I can fight for myself?"

Pouncival snorted. "If you could fight, you'd have gone off with the rest of them."

Tantomile rolled her eyes, turning back to the gate. She knew she wasn't going to leave, but her dream had made her consider it… her eyes clouded over for a brief moment, showing her Pouncival pinned to the ground. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"You're right," she said casually. She stood and turned as if to go deeper into the junkyard. "I guess I can't fight."

Moving like lightening, Tantomile tackled Pouncival off his perch. The two of them tumbled to the ground, wrestling around in the dirt. Tantomile had to hand it to him—Pouncival's reflexes were quick. Soon, though, Pouncival was pinned to the ground and breathing heavily.

Tantomile smiled down at him. "I'm not just a pretty face." Before she could stop herself, Tantomile leaned down and licked him playfully on the nose before disappearing into the junkyard.

=^..^=

Pouncival stared at the spot where Tantomile had vanished. No one—not even Tumblebrutus—had been able to pin him since he left kittenhood. He felt his face flood with warmth as he touched his nose, and he remembered a day that seemed so long ago…

"_I dare you to ask her." Tumblebrutus said, crossing his arms. Pouncival glanced over to where his brother had pointed and gasped. _

"_I can't ask Tantomile!" He protested, looking to Admetus and Plato for support. They, however, where siding with Tumblebrutus._

"_Why not?" Admetus asked, cocking his head to the side._

_Pouncival felt his face turn red. He shouldn't have to justify himself! "For one thing, they both creep me out!" Tumblebrutus rolled his eyes, not buying it. "Plus, she's never away from her brother, and I don't think…" Plato cut him off._

"_You suck at making excuses, you know that?" Plato glanced behind him. "Cori's headed over to Etcetera now, so you can ask her."_

_Pouncival was pushed towards the queen, and he suddenly felt his legs go numb. He took a few awkward steps forward, glancing from Coricopat to Tantomile and back again in case Cori decided to rejoin his twin._

_She was facing the other way, watching her brother. Pouncival was close enough for her to hear him, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't speak._

_Coricopat was now sulking back to his sister, scowling._

"_I'll go with you, if you want." Tantomile said, reaching a comforting paw around his shoulder. Coricopat nodded, still frowning at the ground…_

_Please review! I'm getting the chapters up a lot faster than I thought I would, what with crazy theatre classes and a French professor bent on my humiliation…_

_I could use some constructive criticism here! Hmmm… what to do… I know! When you get done reading, click the review button and type 'like' or 'dislike', and anything else you want to say! (I am also curious as to how many people are reading my story, especially this chapter… it was kind of rushed and sloppy)_


	9. Chapter 9

_[Yay! Another update! I actually should be doing my French homework instead of this, but oh well, haha! I tried to separate my notes from the story with a double line on the last chapter, but that didn't work so well, so I'm just going to bracket it! Tidbit of info: this part of the story is taking place in mid-october, so envision the changing of seasons, as I will more than likely forget to mention it._

_**Insanemistosingsmore:**__ Everlasting Cat, no! Tumble is just off with the other toms, fighting Macavity._

_**Misterfleas:**__ That's what I'm going for, because I guess I'm trying to convince _myself_ that they aren't weird…_

_Also: In order to satisfy the curiosity of others, I will soon be posting a fic that has Castelia's story in it. There will be characters from the show, so don't worry about it all being my stuff!]_

Pouncival kicked a rock, watching it skip ahead of him. He couldn't seem to forget that Tantomile had pinned him the night before, and naturally it was making him upset.

He wasn't even watching where he was going, but he soon found himself at the Vicarage Wall, with Old Deuteronomy slumbering peacefully in his usual spot. Pouncival cleared his throat, attempting to wake up the old patriarch.

Old Deuteronomy stirred, blinking in the afternoon sun at the tom in front of him.

"What brings you here, young Pouncival?"

Pouncival ducked his eyes, feeling his face flush red. "I kind of have a problem…"

=^..^=

Tantomile sat alone on a crooked chair, grooming her fur. Her thoughts kept turning to her dream the night before, and she kept wondering the outcome of the battle.

A small orange, cream and white queen caught her eye, though she was clearly trying not to be seen. Tantomile watched Etcetera dart around, headed for the junkyard entrance. Rising silently, Tantomile decided to follow her, maybe keep her out of trouble.

At the gate, Etcetera was met by Jemima, Victoria, and Electra. Tantomile frowned. This couldn't possibly turn out good. She padded silently after the four queen-kits.

They half-ran down a seldom-used dirt road, keeping completely silent. After about an hour, Tantomile blinked. They were headed towards a large oak tree in the middle of waves of grass. Tantomile's keen eyes picked out the shape of another cat already under the tree. She darted forward, nimbly climbing the tree and watching the small meeting from above.

"What did Old Deuteronomy say?" Victoria asked.

Pouncival scowled at the ground. "To trust my instincts." He stuck out his tongue. "It wasn't exactly helpful."

Jemima blinked at the patchy tom. "Well," she began. "if you want us to help, you have to tell us the problem."

Pouncival glanced at Etcetera. "I'm not sure anymore…"

Etcetera placed her paws on her hips defiantly. "I _can_ keep a secret, you know. I'm not always a loud-mouth."

Biting his lip, Pouncival's mind wrestled with itself; to tell, or not to tell? He shook his head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I think I have a crush on someone."

The four queen-kits perked up, suddenly overly interested. He looked around at them. "If it was any of you, do you honestly think I would have asked you here?"

Electra giggled, and Jemima hid a smile.

"So, who is it?" Etcetera asked.

But Pouncival had chickened out. He clamped his mouth shut, refusing to look at any of them. Victoria looked thoughtful.

"What if we ask you questions and you answer yes or no," the white queen smiled. "You could even just nod or shake your head."

The other three agreed, smiling encouragingly. Jemima started the round of questions.

"Just to make sure," she said. "she _is _part of the tribe, right?"

Pouncival nodded, relieved they weren't asking names…yet.

Electra was next. "Does she have a tomfriend already?"

Pouncival cautiously shook his head, eyeing the queens carefully.

"My turn!" Etcetera shouted. "Is she older than you?"

Again, Pouncival shook his head.

Victoria fiddled with her claws, running through a list of queens in her head. "Exotica? No… she's older… hmmm…" Victoria elapsed into thoughtful silence, and suddenly brightened. "I've got a pretty good idea of who it is, but there's something I need to know first."

Pouncival gulped, his mind racing as he wondered what Victoria had guessed. "What do you need to know?" he asked hesitantly.

"What do you like about her?" Electra had caught on to Victoria's game.

"I don't know…" Pouncival frowned.

"Well," Jemima looked thoughtful. "What about her bugs you?"

Pouncival stared at her, his face blank. Suddenly he brightened. "She pinned me last night. No one's been able to do that since I was a tomkit, not even Tumblebrutus."

Tantomile adjusted herself in the tree, leaning down. She was certain she wasn't hearing right. Victoria glanced at the others, and Tantomile could practically hear their thoughts; who did they know who could get Pouncival, the king of wrestling, flat on his back?

"What else?" Jemima asked. "Did you try to ask her to the last ball?"

"Yes," Pouncival huffed. "but she was already going with Cor—with someone else."

Tantomile leaned forward. It sounded like he'd been about to say 'Coricopat', and her mind was racing. She was the one who'd gone with her brother, because he'd been unable to find a date otherwise.

"Please, Pouncival," Etcetera begged. "Just tell us who it is? You'll feel better."

Pouncival glanced at the four queens in front of him and sighed. "Alright," he resolved. "its—"

With a loud crash, Tantomile fell out of the tree; she'd leaned over too far and lost her balance. Pouncival jumped, his face turning red.

"Tantomile?" He stared from her to the branches above them and back again. His mind churned as he realized she'd been there the whole time. Without another word, Pouncival raced back through the field to the junkyard.

Electra giggled nervously. "You've really got timing."

"At least," Victoria said. "today wasn't a total loss."

"What do you mean?" Etcetera asked. "Tantie fell before Pounce said anything."

Jemima smiled. "Actions speak louder than words."

Tantomile looked at the younger queens. "What do you mean?" She asked hesitantly.

"He likes you," Victoria said in a sing-song voice.

"You pinned him last night?" Electra asked.

Tantomile nodded, feeling numb.

"We should get back to the junkyard," Jemima said, glancing at the darkening sky. "Jenny and Jelly will be wondering where we are."

Together, the five of them trotted back to their home, the younger queens chatting happily the whole way.

[_Wow this is a long chapter… but I like it, so I hope you like it! Please review!]_


	10. Chapter 10

_[Note to self: jotting down a couple paragraphs of the next chapter while in French class will prompt Madame Hansen to make me read it out loud. In French. Let's just say I will not be doing that again. _

_**Maeline:**__ Welcome to this wonderful world of fan fiction! Also, I think it clicked in my brain that those two are just brother and sister, and are just a bit more in-tune to the future and others around them. I'm beginning to think they aren't as weird as I initially thought they were._

_**Insanemistosingsmore:**__ You are very welcome! (I believe the words are: t'histoire ;)_

_As you (as readers) can probably tell, I am trying harder to make the chapters longer! As a side note, the cat Tori (mentioned briefly, but never introduced) is the medical queen of the army. Enjoy!]_

Coricopat stared at the warehouse, waiting next to Mungojerrie. Castelia had gone back in to explain their terms to the Hidden Paw, and to offer peace if he surrendered his magic; Mistoffelees had gone with her. Tumblebrutus skipped up to his tribe-mates.

"Still no sign?" He asked, his voice slightly shaken. The two had been in there for over two hours.

Coricopat shook his head, and Mungo glanced behind them at the horde of cats. All were ready to fight, and were willing, too.

Suddenly, Coricopat's eyes clouded over. He saw hundreds of cats around him, all locked in an intense battle. He felt pain in his side, but ignored it; he had to keep fighting. He had to stay alive, otherwise, who would Tantomile go to for comfort when _her _life was in danger? That vision was replaced by another, the same one that had been haunting him since the Jellicle Ball.

Finally, Coricopat's eyes cleared, and he saw Tumblebrutus and Mungojerrie staring at him. He felt moisture on his cheeks, and his face flushed with heat. Scrubbing his face dry, he said, "Get everyone ready to attack. Macavity's going to refuse."

=^..^=

Castelia and Mistoffelees sat in front of a heavy door, agitated. Why hadn't Macavity allowed them in yet? Castelia let out a soft growl.

Misto glanced at her nervously. He didn't know the queen very well, but the scars cris-crossing her body practically shouted 'warrior'. Misto took a moment to thank Everlasting Cat that they were on the same side.

A large, burly Russian blue tom came out of the door, grunting at them to follow him. "Never thought I'd see you here again, Lia."

Lia ignored both the sentence and Misto's crazy glance, following silently behind the large tom. Macavity was reclining on a large plush armchair, eyeing Castelia and Mistoffelees carefully.

"I told you that if you come back, it will be to carry out your death sentence." Macavity said blandly.

Mistoffelees visibly paled, and Castelia chuckled. "If'n you wan' t' kill me, go ahead. But I doubt you'll ge' th' infahmation you need from mistah silen', 'ere." She nodded to Mistoffelees, who was quivering slightly.

"Information?" Macavity asked, feigning ignorance. "Oh! You mean the scores of cats waiting outside to attack this tribe." He leapt down from his throne. "You can't hide anything from me, my dear." Macavity narrowed his eyes at Mistoffelees. "Purk!" he called, and the Russian blue stepped forward. "Take this puny tom back outside. It only takes one cat to deliver a message."

Castelia worked to steady her breathing and heart rate. Misto was supposed to stay in case they could get Macavity's magic, but that option was fast disappearing as the black tom was dragged out the door.

"You're no' goin' t' kill me?" Castelia asked, amused.

"No. Like I said, it takes one cat to deliver a message, and you are that one cat." Macavity circled her. "You certainly have grown since you and Mungojerrie left my services."

"Jus' doin' wha's bes' for m' kid cousin." Castelia said firmly.

Macavity sat in front of her, studying her face. "You know…" he said slowly, "I can think of a way to get rid of your death sentence."

Castelia bristled. "I know wha' you're goin' t' ask, an' the answah is still no. I will no' surrender my dignity an' pride jus' t' save me own skin."

Macavity chuckled. "You did say yes once. You might not remember, but I do." He leaned forward, roughly nuzzling her neck.

"Tha—tha' was differen'. I didn' 'ave me 'ead on straight." Castelia flinched away from the ginger tom.

Macavity frowned at the brown patchy queen. "Of course you didn't." he said sarcastically. He stood and turned back to his chair, leaving his wide back exposed to Castelia's claws. She tensed her hard muscles, ready to spring, when she suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy.

"Wha's this? Some new spell?" she demanded, staring at her left paw in attempt to slow her spinning head.

Macavity grinned. "Whenever the thought enters another's head to take my life, they cannot do it." He said smugly. "Say yes and it'll stop."

Castelia froze. There seemed to be no way out of this one. She shook her head; she would rather stay dizzy for the rest of her life than become Macavity's 'plaything'. "Nevah." She hissed. She tried to stagger towards the door, but the high lock slammed shut.

"Wrong answer." Macavity charged at her, his razor claws extended.

=^..^=

Munkustrap watched as the door of the warehouse opened a second time, and he and Misto stood, watching the figure stumble towards the cat horde. Castelia was limping heavily, and one eye was swollen shut and bleeding profusely.

"'E said no."

Munkustrap bit his lip from chuckling at the queen's simple statement. "We need to get you to Tori." He said, taking in the fresh gashes on her back, neck, and head. Castelia nodded, leaning heavily on the silver tabby as he led her towards the center of the crowd.

=^..^=

Tantomile curled up in her den, thinking about Pouncival. Sure, he was nice, but did she really like him that way? Her mind drifted back to the other night, when after she'd pinned him. Why on earth did she lick his nose? Wouldn't that constitute as flirting? She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She needed to sleep.

After about an hour of tossing and turning, Tantomile left her den, wandering the junkyard aimlessly.

"Hey there, Tantie."

Tantomile jumped and spun around. Bombalurina was stretched out on the hood of a car, staring at the moon.

"Hello, Bombalurina." Tantomile nimbly climbed up to join the red queen.

The two were silent for a long time, just gazing up at the sky. Then Bomba spoke.

"Victoria told me a rather amusing story today," Bomba said, turning her dark eyes to Tantomile.

Tantomile hugged her knees against her chest. "I only followed them to make sure they stayed out of trouble."

Bombalurina laughed. "So do you like him?"

The question surprised Tantomile, and she didn't know what to say. "I'm not sure…" she said quietly. "I don't even think I know what it feels like. To like someone, I mean."

Bombalurina smiled. "Well, it's different for everyone, but mostly you can't wait to see them again, and when you do…" the red queen thought back to her younger years, and her first crush. "You might feel like you want to be with them, but then you don't… does that make sense?"

Tantomile frowned, her thoughts turning back to Pouncival. Bomba raised her eyebrows, an idea forming in her mind.

"Good evening, Pouncival." She called out, making Tantomile jump and slip off the hood of the car. She glanced around, but Pouncival was not in sight.

Bombalurina was laughing. "Girl, you've got it bad."


	11. Chapter 11

_Ok, so I've had a pretty hectic weekend. My dance/theatre group finally got our semester show (sorry, its just for our department, and for a grade. No outside audience __) and we showed up to the auditions Saturday. Keep this in mind: we had no idea what the show was going to be, and we would be cast according to our performance in the audition. Our director does this so we don't lean towards any one particular character. Anyway, the list went up and I just about fainted. We are doing Cats._

_While looking at the list, I found my name… not by Bombalurina, like I'd thought when I saw the show (I put myself in this part because of my voracious curves and amazing seductive singing abilities.)… I found my name by Rumpelteazer. Ya wanna know why? I asked the director, and she said it was because of my personality, and I wouldn't have to work on it at all. Never mind that I can't cartwheel to save my life. Never mind the fact that I get dizzy to the point of nausea when I spin even just a little bit… I probably sound pessimistic about this, but I'm ECSTATIC!!! _

_Sorry about my happy splurge, but I just thought I'd explain why I'll be updating less often than normal over the next few months. (!) Enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

Pouncival curled up in the sun on his favorite chair, pondering his run-in with Bombalurina. She'd told him not to fight his emotions, and to listen to his instincts. Old Deuteronomy had said the same thing… Pounce was beginning to wonder if they were right. One of the questions Jemima had asked was running through his mind. How _had_ Tantomile pinned him? He sighed. The only way he would know is if he went to ask her personally, but that was one confrontation he wanted to avoid.

_Don't fight your emotions._

Pouncival groaned. Why did Bombalurina have to sound so much like Tumblebrutus? He leapt down from his chair to find Tantomile.

=^..^=

Tantomile was drifting to sleep in the sun. A soft breeze moved her whiskers, and she shivered slightly; the coming winter would be long and cold. The vision of the tom's homecoming flashed across her mind, and she smiled. It would be soon.

"How did you do it?"

Tantomile jumped, her heart going about a mile a minute, and jerked herself to a sitting position when she saw Pouncival. He was staring at her, with no trace of the previous day's embarrassment in his face.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"You pinned me." Pouncival said flatly. "I want to know how."

Tantomile shrugged. "I caught you by surprise, I guess."

Pouncival frowned. That wasn't the answer he'd been looking for. Tantomile studied his face.

"We aren't as mystical as everyone thinks," she said. Pouncival looked up sharply, skepticism dancing across his face. "We just know how to read expressions and body language better than others." She kept the visions to herself; that was one secret she and Coricopat had agreed to keep to themselves.

Pouncival was silent for a moment, frowning at his paws. It seemed to Tantomile that he was wrestling with something in his mind. She cocked her head, waiting for him to speak.

He sighed. "Would you like to walk with me?"

Tantomile blinked. "Sure," she said. She was curious about what he wanted to say… she had a hunch it would include her 'dropping in' on him and the others the day before. She followed him in silence out of the junkyard.

=^..^=

Rumpelteazer darted along a city street, a small bag of loot slung over her shoulder. Thieving wasn't the same without Mungojerrie, but it was still fun. She rolled under a wooden fence, and felt herself relax in the enclosed course. She strolled idly across the overgrown grass and worn green of the unused miniature golf course. She and Mungojerrie had long used it to stash any loot they didn't want to carry to the junkyard.

Tossing her bag onto the roof of a miniature house, Rumpelteazer leapt up and rested her back against her loot and stared at the stars.

She'd almost fallen asleep when a movement on the ground below caught her eye. Being as silent as she could, she moved to the edge of the small roof, peering down on whatever was below. Her jaw dropped.

There was Tantomile—no big deal, Teazer'd known she and Cori visited the old golf course—but with her was Pouncival. The two of them were moving slowly and almost with no purpose. Rumpelteazer watched in disbelief as they curled up together… right in her only safe path down (the small house was over a pond on three sides).

=^..^=

Somehow, Rumpelteazer had made it back to the junkyard by dawn, and called Victoria, Etcetera, Jemima, and Electra to a meeting.

"You'll nevah believe wha' I saw las' nigh'." Rumpelteazer said to the other queens.

Jemima yawned. "Well, we'll probably never guess, either, so why don't you just tell us?" The others nodded blearily.

Rumpelteazer crossed her arms and pouted for a moment, then sighed. "I was ou' thievin', an' wen' t' a place Jerrie an' I usually wen' to—"

"The golf course," Electra put in. She perked up a little bit.

Rumpelteazer frowned. "Yeah. Anyway, I saw th' weirdes' thing _evah._" She paused for a dramatic effect. "Pounce and Tanti were there, an' from wha' I saw, they ain't jus' friends anymore."

A high-pitched squeal came from all four queens, making Teazer flinch. She hadn't expected _that_ reaction from them.

=^..^=

As Tantomile curled up in her den, she smiled to herself. She had to admit, she never thought of herself as the 'romantical' type. Her heart thumped hard as she thought of her night with Pouncival. Yes, she liked him. A lot. Was it love? They would have to wait and see.

* * *

_Sorry it's kind of short, but I felt like that was a good place to stop for now! Also, I just noticed how much of Rumpelteazer there is in here… huh. I'm not trying to put myself into the story, I promise. I just thought she'd be the one to be wandering around at night for no really good reason!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Haha! It's official. I'm sexier as Rumpelteazer than my friend Livvy is as Bombalurina._

…_On to the author's notes!_

_**Insanemistosingsmore **__and __**musicgal3:**__ Thanks! I'm super stoked for the show! (even though it's just for a grade, and not for the entertainment of others *tear* We found out today that we will be using actor's blocks, and standard dance clothes: tights, jazz shoes… we will be wearing warmers if we so choose, but no wigs or makeup… which I think is lame._

_ANYWAY. I came up with this while I was trying to go to sleep last night, and am just barely getting around to typing it 24-hours later. Warning: this chapter gets a little gory, but I won't change my rating, cause it's just this chapter (I hope) Hope you all like it!_

* * *

Tantomile was roughly shaken awake about mid-morning by a very bright-eyed quintet of queens. She blinked at them and the expectant looks on their faces.

"Good morning," she said pleasantly. Her thoughts were spinning as the previous evening came back to her.

Rumpelteazer grinned at Tantomile. "We've go' some questions, and I feel you've go' the righ' answers we're lookin' for." The others nodded vigorously.

"What kind of questions?" Tantomile was almost afraid to find out.

Jemima glanced around. Bombalurina was watching them curiously from a distance. "Let's not talk here," she said. "Too many curious ears."

Etcetera nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go to that _place,_" she grinned slyly, and the six of them were off, headed swiftly through the junkyard; although Tantomile was a little bit reluctant.

As they passed through the gateway, Tantomile felt an extra set of eyes on her. She glanced up to see Pouncival watching them with confusion written all over his face. Tantomile felt her heart skip a beat, and she shrugged nonchalantly, hoping their brief interaction went unnoticed by her 'kit-nappers'.

=^..^=

They sat in a circle on the overgrown grass of the golf course, shivering slightly in a chilling breeze that tugged at the falling leaves.

"So what exactly did you do last night?" Etcetera asked.

"Um," Tantomile glanced at their faces before looking back at her paws. "Well, we talked a lot, we found some dinner in the city, and stayed here for most of the night. Pouncival…" Tantomile turned red. Even saying his name made her heart leap in her chest! "He isn't what I expected."

"How so?" Victoria asked.

Tantomile thought about this. "Well, in the junkyard, he's always wrestling with the other toms, getting into trouble, and stuff like that," She blinked, thinking about her night. She sighed. "He's really such a gentle-tom. I think he'd be able to rival Munkustrap in chivalry and manners." She rested her head on her paws, inconspicuously trying to stop the spinning.

"So…" Jemima said after a moment of silence. "What did you talk about?"

Tantomile _really _blushed. "I'd rather not share specifics, if you don't mind." Seeing the disappointed faces around her, Tantomile sighed. "Basically we decided that, yes, we like each other. We also decided that we'd wait and see if it turned into love," She straightened up. "But for now, it's probably just a crush."

Rumpelteazer shook her head. "I doubt it. Judgin' by wha' I saw las' nigh', it's way more than 'jus' a crush'."

Tantomile blinked and stared at the calico queen. "What did you see last night?"

Teazer winked. "You know wha' ya did." She shut her mouth and said nothing else, grinning when the four young queens clustered around Tantomile begging for details.

Tantomile seemed slightly overwhelmed, and tried to put her thoughts into words. She shivered at an extra strong gust of wind, and her eyes suddenly clouded over.

_There was a thin layer of snow covering the junkyard. Tantomile was curled up in her den, covered by more blankets than usual. She feigned sleep, knowing he'd entered the den. She started purring immediately when he nuzzled her neck. "You shouldn't have been gone so long," she said._

Tantomile blinked, blushing deep scarlet. She suddenly knew the answer, and she had to tell Pouncival. She was bursting with energy as she extracted herself from the clamoring queens, and took off out of the golf course.

=^..^=

Munkustrap panted as he dropped to the ground, surrounded by the bloody carcasses of friend and foe alike. They'd all ganged up on Macavity in the end but, true to his nature, he disappeared. The silver tabby closed his eyes, listening for Tori's approach as she checked for any living; even if they were part of the Hidden Paw's tribe, she would do her best to heal them.

Castelia limped over, supporting as little weight on her front leg as possible. The entire left side of her face was crusted with blood, and she would most likely lose the sight in that eye. She was also covered in deep scratches. She collapsed next to Munk.

"Jus' go' done with th' 'ead coun'," she said wearily. "Y' didn' lose any from yer tribe, but 'Lonzo's unfit t' move."

Munkustrap glanced at the battle-ridden queen. "I'm surprised Tori's letting _you_ walk around, Lia. I'd've thought she'd have you strapped to the ground."

Castelia laughed, but it turned into a slight gurgle and she spat blood on the ground. "Tha' ole windbag can' keep me off my feet, no' for a minute."

Munkustrap groaned and held his side; it was cut deeply, and even though the bleeding was staunched for now, any minor movement could open it up.

"We'll have to wait for everyone to be mostly healed before we can go home." He said, staring at the grey clouds in the sky.

"Home…" the patchy brown queen wondered what it would be like to stay in one place permanently.

The two of them lay there for a while, too tired and sore to notice the sudden cold. Munkustrap opened his eyes when he felt a small spot of cold land on his nose. Large white bits of fluff were floating down from the sky.

=^..^=

Coricopat shivered violently, even though the snow was melting as soon as it touched his fur. He pressed his side, trying to block out the pain. Mistoffelees and Tori were doing everything to help the survivors, but there were too many for just two cats. Cori found himself wishing for Jenny's numbing tonic, even though it tasted revolting. He felt a paw on his shoulder. Tumblebrutus was carrying a blanket that he'd gotten from the nearby city; he'd been one of the luckier ones in battle. Suddenly Cori had an idea.

"Would you be able to get Jenny and Jelly? They could help Mist and Tori…" Coricopat asked weakly. Tumblebrutus nodded, and turned to leave. Coricopat had another thought. "Bring my sister, too."

=^..^=

Pouncival hugged his knees to his chest, watching the pollicles wandering in the distance. He hoped they wouldn't come any closer… he wasn't in any mood to fight. He twisted his ears around, picking up the faint sound of approaching footsteps. He turned and smiled at the mottled queen trotting towards him.

"All quiet?" She asked, sitting close to him in the cold air.

Pouncival nodded towards the pollicles. "Not quite. I just hope they don't take a fancy to the junkyard."

Tantomile nodded, watching the large animals with her yellow eyes. "We'll have snow within the week," she said, glancing up at the sky.

Pouncival huffed, watching his breath as it floated away. "I can't wait," he said, smiling. It was common knowledge that Pouncival loved winter and snow the most out of the seasons. Glancing at Tantomile, he said, "It'll be _really _cold."

She chuckled, and leaned into his fur, enjoying the warmth. They sat there for a long while, watching their breath as it misted from their noses. Tantomile heard laughter in the distance.

"I can't keep avoiding their questions for much longer, Pounce," she said quietly.

Pouncival sighed. "So what should we tell them? That we're madly in love with each other?"

Tantomile chuckled, and nuzzled his neck. "Yes, I would like that very much."

* * *

_Yay for the end of a chapter! And Nay for a weekend of rehearsals that will prevent me from updating unless I can smuggle my computer into my school… boo. This is how crazy my director is: she cast me in the play 'you can't take it with you' as Penny Sycamore… I really don't get what's going through that woman's head… "lets make all the students wear themselves out with several plays at once, then we can take over the world with these theatre-zombies!"…?_


	13. Chapter 13

_The plus side of not being in Bustopher Jones: I don't have to learn the song! Therefore: I have about two hours to type, so I hope I get this chapter done in time! (Of course, it helps that the cast is having trouble with the 'aahs' and harmony :P)_

_**Musicgal3:**__ I actually pulled from my own experience of annoying 'who's your crush' questions, asked by my little sister and her friends… it really is the most annoying thing in the world._

_Here we go!_

* * *

Tumblebrutus darted silently around the edge of the junkyard. He'd seen his brother sitting at the entrance with Tantomile, and had wanted to sneak up on him. He gritted his teeth as the cut on his arm started to spasm, making it hard for him to flex his muscles. Doing his best to ignore the pain, Tumblebrutus crept up behind his brother.

=^..^=

Tantomile was almost asleep against Pouncival's shoulder when some strong force knocked both of them off the old television. Somersaulting neatly to a sitting position, Tantomile watched as Pouncival wrestled with a brown and white tom. She smiled at the newcomer.

"Tumblebrutus, how are you?"

He grunted as he struggled to pin his brother. "Doin' great!" He was flipped onto his back, and Pouncival stood over him, holding his brother's limbs securely to the ground.

"When will you learn, Tumble? You can't win against me." Pouncival laughed. He helped his brother up, and the two embraced, clapping each other on the back.

"What brings you here?" Tantomile asked, thinking of her vision from nearly a month ago.

"We need Jenny and Jelly," Tumblebrutus said. His paw twitched, like he was trying not to rub the bandage wrapped around his bicep. "Coricopat also asked for you to come, Tanto."

Tantomile nodded, and her mind was racing. Would she see her brother before first snow after all? The vision flashed across her mind, and she shook her head at Tumblebrutus. "I can't go. I'm sorry." _The future shouldn't be tampered with,_ she added silently.

Tumblebrutus shrugged, refraining from asking why. He turned to Pouncival. "Would you want to come?"

Pouncival shook his head. "Munk gave me a job to do, and I'm going to do it."

Tumblebrutus cocked his head, looking at his brother curiously. "It seems you've grown up, Pounce. You aren't the tom-kit I remember."

Pouncival shrugged. "A lot can happen in a month."

"Hmm," Tumble said, glancing from Tantomile to Pouncival. "Well, I need to get Jenny and Jelly, and we need to get back as soon as possible." He bounded off through the junkyard, reminding himself of the urgency of his trip.

=^..^=

Macavity watched from the roof of the ware house as the Jellicle tribe looked after each other. His eyes followed the heavily scarred patchy brown queen as she wound her way through the crowd of cats, clearly avoiding any sort of medical care.

He absently reached up to feel the back of his neck; the only scar she'd ever given him. "I'll see you again, Lia." Quick as a wink, the tired ginger tom was gone.

=^..^=

Mistoffelees leaned against a crate, rubbing his eyes. He'd been awake for two days straight, healing whatever he could while protesting his fatigue. He wished Tumblebrutus would get back soon… he didn't know how much longer he could keep going.

A shadow fell over him, and Misto groaned. Tori, a rather fat Siamese, was staring down at him with her paws on her hips. "I know you're tired, Misto. Get some sleep before I strap _you _to a bed." She said.

Mistoffelees pressed a paw to his temple. "Thanks," he said, pushing himself to his feet. He stumbled a few steps before the healer queen caught him.

"Maybe I _should_ strap you to a bed, just in case…"

She helped him to a row of makeshift beds—which were really just hay covered in blankets. As soon as Misto's head hit the bed, he was snoring peacefully.

=^..^=

Tori was in the middle of replacing Alonzo's bandages when a joyful cry came from the edge of the group.

"They're here! Tumblebrutus is back!"

Immediately everyone who was able rushed to the newcomers, greeting them warmly. Gus and Skimbleshanks both greeted their mates with the most enthusiasm.

Once Tori was done, she waddled over to the group, shaking paws with Jenny and Jelly. A small paw tapped her on the shoulder, and Tori turned around to see the biggest pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen.

"Can you tell me," the small queen said quietly. "Where is Mistoffelees?"

Tori smiled. "I'll show you the way," she said, throwing an arm around the small queen's shoulders. "He's really tired, though, so he might not wake up right away."

"That's alright," she giggled. "I can never wake him up anyway. I'm Jemima, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Jemima." Tori smiled at the young queen, guiding her off through the rows of beds.

=^..^=

Castelia limped to a pile of sacks in an alley, glad to be away from the anxiety that hovered over the injured cats. Sighing in relief that Tori would not be there to see, Castelia slumped down on the pile and fell asleep.

When she woke up several hours later, she saw a folded bit of cloth next to her paws. Curious, she picked it up, gasping when she saw neat letters printed on the strip of cloth. There was only one cat she knew who could write; the same tom who'd taught her to read.

_I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go this far. Love you. –N_

Castelia read the note over and over, wiping tears from her eyes. Biting her lip to prevent further water works, the battle-ridden queen hugged the small note to her chest.

=^..^=

Tantomile pressed her paws against her temples, scowling at the darkness. She'd woken up several hours ago with a massive headache, and now she felt as if her entire den was spinning, and it was making her nauseous. It was just her luck that she would get a migraine right _after_ Jenny left… it was also convenient that she couldn't remember the sure-fire cure for headaches.

Wind gusted around the small den as Pouncival pulled aside the makeshift door and came in, carrying a bag of food.

"Feeling any better?" he asked quietly.

"No," Tantomile shivered. "If anything, I'm feeling worse." She groaned as the smell of the food reached her nostrils. "Is that chicken?"

"Basted in lemon grass and white wine." Pouncival said proudly. "You might not be able to stomach it, but the herbs will help your headache."

Tantomile pulled herself over to the steaming bag, lifted her head and inhaled deeply… which almost made her fall over. Pouncival caught her, smiling as she settled against his chest. He could tell she was very tired.

"If I throw up on you, I'm sorry…" then she was asleep, purring softly despite her migraine.

=^..^=

Coricopat sat up on his bed. He still had bandages in some places, but Tori had told him he could get up and walk around. Now they just had to wait for Alonzo to regain consciousness.

* * *

_OK, so maybe I lied about not meeting Tori. And yes, there is such thing as a fat Siamese. I have one._

_For those who are curious about "N", I'm sure I will be posting a new chapter for my other fan fic soon, and "N" is mentioned several times. I was going to wait until that chapter was posted before posting this one, but this got done first. Please review!_


	14. Chapter 14

_I finally have a full day to myself… but not really because I suck at the double cartwheel. Anyway, I decided to be counter-productive and update my story instead of cartwheeling myself into a madness. I also should be studying for a French test, but whatever ;)_

_**Insanemistosingsmore:**__ I have read countless stories where Pouncival was childish because, well he comes off as a younger character on the dvd. I was curious about how he would act if he were forced to grow up early—being named temporary protector of the tribe certainly has done the job! Not that I'm saying I think he's still young, I just think he would be one to shirk his responsibility unless he absolutely had to!_

_**Roselna:**__ I also think they are about tied, but the reason Pouncival gained the upper hand is because he hates to be embarrassed, and being pinned is one of those things that 'gives him shame'. So kind of like a wild mustang, Pouncival fights longer and harder than most other toms his age… Helpful?_

* * *

Mistoffelees yawned, arching his back and rubbing his eyes. The few hours of sleep he'd gotten were definitely helpful. A movement to his right made him sit up, fully alert.

"I'm fine, Tori!" He yelled automatically, thinking the healer queen was there to order him back to sleep. He was surprised to see Jemima curled up on the sack-bed next to him, fast asleep. She stirred, awakened by his random outburst.

Jemima smiled at Misto, her cheeks flooded with color. "I'm glad you're OK," she said quietly. A short pause stretched between them, which seemed forever.

_Ah, what the heck._ Jemima thought. She leaned forward, throwing her arms around Mistoffelees' neck. "I was really worried about you," she said into his fur.

Misto, though slightly surprised by Jemima's sudden action, returned her hug, enjoying the way she nuzzled against his neck when he hugged her tighter.

=^..^=

Bomba poked her head into Tantomile's den, and thanked Everlasting Cat that Pouncival wasn't in there. Tantomile was napping lightly in the corner, her stomach bulging slightly from—judging by the small pile of bones in the corner—an entire chicken. Bombalurina sniffed the air; it had been roasted, too.

"Tantomile," Bomba called. She knew the queen was a light sleeper; there was no need to shake her awake. Tantomile lifted her head, stifling a yawn. Bomba smiled. "My humans will be out of town tonight and tomorrow, so I'm organizing a queen's-night-in. You wanna come?"

"Sure," Tantomile said, grinning. The last time they'd gotten together, they had gone way overload with the… entertainment. To make a long story short, Tugger had crashed the party while he was high on catnip.

"We'll be going there as soon as Jemima gets back…" Bomba paused. "Do you happen to know where she is? I can't find her anywhere."

"She went with Jenny and Jelly. She said something about learning more about medicine and healing."

"Medicine, my butt," Bomba muttered. "Then I guess we'll be leaving now."

=^..^=

Tantomile was curled up on the couch, glad she had a chance to enjoy herself after feeling sick for so long (really it was only a few hours, but it had felt like forever to her).

If there had been toms present, they would have played a game of Spin the Bottle; instead, Bomba introduced a new game called Truth or Dare.

"When it's your turn," she said, explaining the game, "You pick one queen to ask 'truth or dare'. If she picks truth, you ask her a question that she _has_ to answer truthfully. If she picks dare, you give her some kind of task to do. Once the queen who was picked answers the question or does the dare, it is then her turn to pick someone." Bomba looked around the circle. "Everyone understand?" they all nodded, with Etcetera and Electra seeming the most enthusiastic.

"You want to start Demeter?" Bomba asked her sister. The gold queen nodded.

"Exotica," she said. "Truth or dare?"

Exotica thought for a moment. "Truth."

Demeter grinned. "How many times have you kissed Tugger?"

The black queen blushed. "In public or private?" she mentally kicked herself for saying that. No way to get out of it now.

"Both."

Exotica hesitated, watching the other queens lean in eagerly. She sighed. "More times than I care to remember."

Her answer caused a wide variety of reactions; mostly laughter, but Tugger's fan club—Victoria, Etcetera, and Electra—were all pouting slightly. Exotica held up a paw, waiting for silence.

"Victoria," Exotica said, looking at the white queen. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said with a grin. She sat forward with anticipation.

"Trade collars with Bomba."

Victoria's paw shot up to her glittery pink collar, eyeing Bomba's black spiked one with detest. Glaring at Exotica, she slowly unbuckled while Bomba did the same.

"I want it back by the end of the night." She said grumpily, trading her precious collar with Bomba's. Etcetera helped her friend buckle the black band around her neck, then sat back to see it better.

"It looks good," she said, grinning. Victoria glared at her.

"Truth or dare, Cettie?"

"Truth," Etcetera said, still grinning. She wasn't taking any chances with her friend's mood by choosing dare.

Victoria lapsed into silence. She'd expected Etcetera to choose dare, but now she had to think up a question that would be sure to embarrass her friend.

"Who is your crush?"

Etcetera rolled her eyes. "Tug—"

"Tugger doesn't count!"

"Oh," she said, frowning. She blushed. "Well, um… I kinda like…" she cleared her throat. Her next word came out as a squeak, and she quickly covered her eyes.

Victoria was enjoying herself. "What was that, Cettie? We couldn't hear what you said."

Etcetera glanced around the circle, her face hot and red. She looked at Bomba. "What happens here stays here, right?" The red queen nodded. Plucking up her courage, Etcetera took a deep breath. "I like Admetus!" she said loudly, then squeaked again and hid her head at the chorus of 'aww's' and laughter from the other queens.

"Teazer," Etcetera said when the others were quiet. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," the calico queen said immediately.

Etcetera thought about it for a moment. "Go to the neighbor's yard and get Spike's collar." Everyone gasped. Spike was the neighboring pollicle, and was rumored to be the meanest one in town. Rumpelteazer laughed.

"Ye ain't go' nuffin bettah than tha'?"

Etcetera shook her head, astonished. Rumpelteazer yawned and stood up, heading for the kitty door. The rest of the queens clustered at a window on the second floor, watching the neighbor's yard. There was Rumpelteazer, slinking almost carelessly through the yard towards the wooden shack that was Spike's little house.

She reached down and picked up a long chain from the ground, feeling along it for the post it was attached to. Once she found it, she began shaking the chain vigorously. The queens at the window jumped when the large pollicle blundered out of its house, barking madly at the intruder. Working quickly, Rumpelteazer wrapped the chain around the post several times, taking off when Spike charged. She ran around the post, trusting the dumb pollicle to follow her, and in doing so, wound the creature up until he was struggling with the now very short chain.

She nimbly jumped onto his back, took the remaining length of chain and wrapped it around his neck, clipping it back upon itself. Now that the collar was free of the chain, it was a simple matter of unbuckling it. She slung the thing over her shoulder, and raced out of the yard, leaving Spike tight against the post.

The calico queen returned to a chorus of cheers as she dropped the thick collar in the middle of their circle. "Pollicles are so stupid," she said loudly.

Once they were settled down, Rumpelteazer's green eyes flickered around the circle, trying to decide who she would choose. She grinned. "Tantomile," she said, making the mottled queen look up in slight shock. "Truth or dare?"

Tantomile bit her lip. "Truth?" she said hesitantly. She was in no mood for a dare.

"'Ow long 'ave you 'ad a crush on Pouncival?"

This seemed the most enrapturing question so far; every queen present gave Tantomile their undivided attention. She sputtered a bit.

"Well, I don't really know…" She reflected back, trying to place the moment when she'd first noticed her feelings for Pouncival. "Maybe three weeks ago…?" She glanced at Rumpelteazer, hoping her answer had been satisfactory.

Rumpelteazer rolled her eyes. "Good enough…" she sighed. "But 'urry up an' take your turn, I've go' somethin' I need t' show ya."

Tantomile cocked her head at the calico, then glanced around at the circle. "Electra," she said. "Truth or dare?"

The young tortoise-shell queen thought for a moment. "Dare," she said decisively.

Tantomile's eyes flicked to the large collar in the middle. She grinned and pointed to it. "I dare you to wear that for the rest of the night."

Electra wrinkled her nose as she picked up the heavy thing, staring at it as if trying to figure out how to put it on. She shrugged and slung it over one shoulder, imitating the way Rumpelteazer had carried it, earning giggles from the rest of the queens.

Rumpelteazer stood, taking Tantomile by the paw. "We'll be back," she called. Together, the left out the kitty door.

Tantomile felt her heart speed up at the sight of a figure leaning against the fence. Completely forgetting that Rumpelteazer was there, Tantomile bounded towards the figure, squealing.

Pouncival hugged her tightly, laughing at her uncharacteristic reaction. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said, nuzzling her neck. "I wanted to talk to you about something…" he glanced at the retreating form of Rumpelteazer. "Walk with me?"

Tantomile nodded, following after him with a strange bubbly feeling in her stomach. She blinked as her eyes briefly clouded over… but no vision came. Odd.

They walked together to a park, one that was full of ponds and beautiful landscape and weeping willows. The trees were almost completely bare of leaves, but the water still sparkled in the moonlight, giving the place an ethereal feel to it.

Pouncival stopped on a bridge, and Tantomile snuggled against him, enjoying the warmth of his fur. The two of them sat in silence for a long while, and Tantomile could sense Pouncival's hesitation; whatever he wanted to talk about, it seemed a delicate subject. She smiled up at him.

"Just spit it out. It'll be easiest if you don't try to say a lot." She said, giving him a playful lick on the cheek.

He chuckled. "That's what I love so much about you, Tanti," he purred. "You always seem to know what I'm thinking."

Tantomile rolled her eyes. "I can't read minds,"

"No, I guess not…" he bit his lip, his brown eyes staring up at the stars. He sighed, turning to Tantomile. "You know that I love you," he said, staring into her yellow eyes; why did love make everything seem more beautiful? "I'll always love you."

Tantomile smiled, her breath slightly accelerated. "And I love you," she purred, nuzzling against his chest.

"You're making this harder!" Pouncival joked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Tantomile smiled cheekily at him before sticking her tongue out. They laughed quietly for a while, then Pouncival sighed.

"I—" his jaw worked, but no sound came out at first. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I want nothing more than to be with you forever." He pressed his forehead against hers, and Tantomile's breath caught in her throat. He stared into her eyes, barely breathing. "Will you be my mate?"

Tantomile's heart was pounding. She choked out a giggle. "Really?"

"Really."

Grinning like a kitten, Tantomile taunted him. "You'll have to catch me first!" She took off running, with Pouncival chasing close behind. They ran around the park for a while before Tantomile was caught and pinned to the ground.

"Alright!" she said, her sides heaving. She laughed with exhilaration. "Yes, I will be your mate."

Pouncival was overjoyed. Still in their kitten-like mood, the two of them played in the park before eventually curling up together, hardly noticing that the falling snow was sticking to the ground.

* * *

_I know there was something I wanted to talk about here… but I forgot… Please review!_


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, all the queens of the Junkyard could be found dozing lightly at Bomba's house. They were sprawled across the floor and furniture, sometimes using each other as pillows. Tantomile crept in as quietly as she could, stifling a yawn as she made her way across the jumble of queens. She felt like she had to pinch herself to remind her that she was not dreaming; she and Pouncival would be mates! They'd agreed to wait until the rest of the toms came back before Old Deuteronomy would perform the ceremony, just because it would be better for both of them to have family there.

"I expec' it wen' well las' night?"

Tantomile glanced at Rumpelteazer, surprised to see the calico queen wide awake. Suddenly, all the other queens were too, each of them leaning forward eagerly for details.

"I thought you were all asleep!" Tantomile protested.

Demeter laughed. "We knew you'd come back some time, and what completes a slumber party better than love stories?"

Tantomile blushed, grinning at her friends as they waited for a story. Holding her chin up proudly, she said, "Pouncival asked me to be his mate."

High pitched squeals came from all present, and Tantomile's cheeks reddened as she launched into her tale of the night before.

=^..^=

Jennyanydots was shaken awake about mid-afternoon. Her gaze immediately went to Alonzo's bed, and she beamed when she saw him sitting up and flexing his stiff muscles.

"I'm so glad you are up, dear," she told the black and white tom. "We were beginning to get worried about you."

Alonzo nodded. "Can I get some food? I'm starving,"

Jenny laughed. "Of course! And right after you get done, we can go home." She bustled off to find something to fill Alonzo's stomach.

=^..^=

Tantomile frowned. Her stomach would not stop gurgling, even though she'd eaten not three hours ago. Perhaps it was because she had raced Rumpelteazer and Etcetera back to the junkyard. She flinched as it gurgled again, and resigned to hunt.

Outside the junkyard, she found tracks of a couple of rats easily enough. They were fresh, too, so she began prowling along silently. She saw the rats huddled in a pipe on the side of the road, cleaning themselves and nibbling on random crumbs. Smiling to herself, she prepared to pounce.

In the blink of an eye, she was off, her claws extended as she charged towards the pipe. A sudden flash blurred her vision, and then everything was black.

=^..^=

Pouncival shivered in the frozen dusk. He was sitting at the junkyard entrance, wrapped in a blanket. Tantomile had hinted that the other toms would be home soon, but when he asked her for more details, she'd merely smiled and shook her head.

He wondered what she was doing… probably chatting with her friends in some warm den somewhere. He remembered the grin on Old Deuteronomy's face when he'd gone to ask for advice the day before…

"_It's good to see you, young Pouncival. Everything alright in the junkyard?"_

_Pouncival nodded. "I came to ask you something. Remember when I was talking about Tantomile?" The old tom nodded encouragingly. "Well," Pouncival scuffed his paws. "I'm in love with her. I want her to be my mate, but I don't know how to ask her."_

_Old Deuteronomy laughed. "Just like that, young tom. Queens adore simplicity." He sat down, leaning his back against the Vicarage Wall. "Take her somewhere special, and let her know she means the world to you."_

_Pouncival grinned. He knew just the place; sure it would have been prettier in the summer time, but he didn't want to wait until then. "Thanks Old Deuteronomy!" He bounded off, his spirit threatening to rise more if she said yes._

Etcetera interrupted Pouncival's thoughts by plunking down noisily next to him. Wordlessly, Pouncival shared his blanket with his sister, and the two sat quietly for a while.

"Have you seen Tanti?" Etcetera asked. Pouncival glanced sharply at her.

"She's not here?"

"No," Etcetera shook her head. "She complained about being hungry a while ago and left to go hunting."

Pouncival was off like a rocket, yelling instructions back to his sister, "Tell everyone to search around the junkyard. I'm going further out."

=^..^=

Tantomile was dreaming, she knew it. This wasn't a vision, but it had the same quality to it. She was on a dark street, watching some rats play in a trash heap. She was trying to decide whether she would play with them or eat them… a strange phrase ran through her head; _food or friends, food or friends…_

A small mew behind her made Tantomile turn around. Sitting in the middle of the street was the smallest queen kitten Tantomile had ever seen. She had patches of black and grey, and some spots of brown, and she was glaring at Tantomile with piercing yellow eyes.

Tantomile smiled at the small thing. "Whats your name?"

The kitten stared unblinkingly at Tantomile, staying silent for a moment. When she opened her mouth, her words echoed around Tantomile's head.

"_The Mountain cannot lose his flowers;  
his Willow or Golden Rose.  
For if one falls, he loses the other,  
Victims of a heartless world.  
To save the Willow,  
The Rose must fly,  
Else both shall be lost,  
and the Mountain will die."_

Tantomile frowned. There was no straight answer in the kitten's rhyme. "Is your name Rose?" She asked. But the kitten only stared. Tantomile shrugged. A light to the distant left caught her eye. She gasped as she realized it was a human car, and it was headed straight for the kitten.

"_Fly, Golden Rose! Fly! Save the Willow and the Mountain!"_

The kitten disappeared, and the dream faded. Tantomile blinked and suddenly she was lying on her back in the snow in terrible pain. A light in the distance snared her attention. With a rush of déjà vu, Tantomile heard the strange kitten's words echoing in her mind again.

"Save the Willow…" she muttered, watching the light. "A car?" She gasped. She needed to get off the road. Her limbs were stiff and frozen, and she had a hard time moving. She watched in horror as the car drew closer, not slowing down or showing any signs of swerving. Tantomile began scrabbling for the edge of the road, working her legs as much as she could to get the blood flowing. Finally she managed to roll down the small hill off the road just as the car rushed by.

Tantomile lay still in the snow, her head spinning from her sudden movement. She was glad that she couldn't tip over; almost being hit by a car had scared her so badly that her heart was thumping wildly in her empty stomach. Just as she was about to pass out, blur of red, gold and black fur filled her vision.

=^..^=

Pouncival watched Tantomile as she lay, barely breathing, on a cot in Jenny's medical den. Her back was nearly flayed open from road rash, and she had many more cuts and bruises littering her body. Her eyes flickered about under closed lids, and occasionally her lips would move; but it looked like nothing more than random spasms.

Demeter and Bombalurina had found her near the side of a road about fifteen minutes from the junkyard, the snow around her stained red to mark her path. Exhausted, Pouncival was unable to prevent himself from drifting off to sleep.

=^..^=

"I saved them."

Pouncival jerked awake, startled to hear Tantomile's voice. He rose from his seat, watching her face. Her eyes were clouded over, and her lips were moving as if she was talking. Pouncival was about to sit down again when Tantomile spoke.

"I saved the Willow and the Mountain."

=^..^=

The kitten in Tantomile's dream smiled sweetly at her, and Tantomile felt her heart soar. The kitten was proud of her, and showed it by taking three steps towards the older queen.

"Can't you touch me?"

The kitten shook her head.

"_Around the Willow the Rose must grow,  
Protecting with her loving thorns,  
And when the Wind threatens to destroy,  
The Mountain must not bow._

_The Rose goes with the mountain,  
Yet none ride with the Wind  
It is for this the Willow weeps,  
To see a lonely soul._

_But the Rose's duty  
It is to save  
The wind from ever dying  
For like the Mountain,  
The Rose will wither  
and the petals will drift away."_

Tantomile watched the kitten curiously. Her words made sense in her head—sort of. She could make out that she, _Tantomile_, was the Golden Rose… but who was the Mountain and the Willow? And now the Wind? The small kitten turned to leave.

"Wait!" Tantomile called.

The tiny queen stopped.

"Will I ever get to see you again?"

Large yellow eyes twinkled knowingly. "After the Wind tries to conquer the Mountain." Then she was gone.

=^..^=

Pouncival, Demeter, and Bombalurina were baffled. Not only had Tantomile muttered in her unrest, but she had recited a whole poem and was now muttering, "Protect the Willow…"

[A/N] To ease the questioning minds,

Yes, Tantomile was hit by a car; the driver had forgotten to turn on his lights, saw a movement on the road, turned them on and BAM.

No, I will not reveal the meaning of the poem-talking kitten. Nor will I say who she is or what importance she has other than keeping Tanti entertained while she's out cold.

I will also not say who is who. (from the poem)


	16. Chapter 16

Tantomile lay on her back under a large oak tree. She knew it was the same tree she'd once fallen out of, but it looked so much larger than normal. It was full of large leaves, and the sunlight occasionally filtered through the canopy. The mottled queen let out a happy sigh. Summer was her favorite season.

A movement to her right caught her eye. She turned her head to see the mysterious kitten lying next to her, watching the sky above them. Tantomile noted that she was much closer than usual.

"What is your name?"

Tantomile gasped. It was the small queen who'd spoken, even though she still stared up at the sky.

"Tantomile," she said hesitantly. She had been under the impression that the kitten knew everything. "What's yours?"

The kitten looked sad. "I don't know. My father hasn't named me yet."

Tantomile propped herself on her elbows. "Why not?"

"He doesn't know I exist."

"That's…" Tantomile watched the kitten, "terrible. How old are you?"

"I don't know," the kitten said, starting to cry. Tantomile noticed that her eyes were no longer yellow, but a vibrant green. "My mother almost killed me, and my father doesn't know about me. I don't know who I am!"

Tantomile was speechless. What queen would ever try to kill this sweet kitten? "I could take care of you, if you want,"

She looked at Tantomile, her eyes shining from her tears. "Can you do that?"

Tantomile smiled at her. "If you want me to."

"Yes," the kitten said. "Um… can you give me a name? I don't think my father is going to."

"What would you like your name to be?"

She blinked several times, wiping any stray tears away. "I don't really know. I never thought about it before, because I've been alone." She gazed at Tantomile, her eyes beginning to turn yellow.

"_When the Willow meets the Rose again,"  
She will know her name."_

The kitten was gone, but Tantomile heard one last chilling line.

"_The Rose has been away from the Mountain for too long."_

=^..^=

Tantomile felt sore all over, but mostly on her back. She almost didn't dare open her eyes, strangely afraid she would see the kitten again. She was certain she was dreaming. All around her, she heard soft voices, talking about things that didn't concern her. She knew the voices, too; there was Jennyanydots, fussing over what everyone would eat that night; Munkustrap was talking with Demeter about border patrols; Jellylorum was chatting about whatever gossip she'd heard on her way back; and Pouncival… he was there, she could feel it, but he wasn't talking. Why wasn't he talking?

She opened her eyes, knowing she was dreaming. She was in Jenny's medical den—the last she remembered she was dying on the roadside. She gingerly turned her head, her yellow eyes searching for Pouncival. He was sitting with his back against the wall, his head hanging in his paws. Tantomile narrowed her eyes at him.

"Pouncival, what's wrong?"

The talking in the den immediately ceased, everyone looking at the queen lying on the bed. Pouncival's eyes were red and puffy, for reasons Tantomile could only guess at, and he was staring at her in shock.

"Everybody out," Jenny ordered. Tantomile saw that Alonzo, Plato, and a queen she didn't recognize were also there, and they sheepishly followed Munkustrap and Demeter out of the den; Pouncival stayed right where he was. Jellylorum started pulling bandages off a shelf, while Jenny leaned over Tantomile.

"Good to see you amongst the living," she smiled. Her paws fluttered over Tantomile's body, gently touching random places and noticing whenever Tantomile winced in pain. "My best guess is you were hit by a car," she said. "I can't imagine how horrifying it must have been."

"I didn't see a car…" Tantomile muttered. That must have been the flash of light she remembered.

"Well, that is usually the case," Jenny said. She placed her paws on her waist. "I'm going to need you to lie on your stomach, so I can get a good look at your back. Nothing seems to be broken, so it'll be fine."

Tantomile nodded, and the two motherly cats wrapped their paws around her and gently turned her over. She gritted her teeth; it was an extremely uncomfortable position.

"It's starting to look better," Jelly said, brushing her paw across the injury. "Looks like we've got a quick healer on our paws."

Jenny nodded, and began spreading some kind of cream across Tantomile's back. "Does that feel better, dear?"

"Yeah," Tantomile grunted. She forced herself not to wince as they touched a particularly tender spot. "But I'm having trouble breathing,"

Jenny glanced at her companion. "That's not normal," Jelly muttered. "Can you sit up?"

Tantomile nodded, and the carefully helped her to sit up on the bed. Tantomile sighed. "That's much better," she said, closing her eyes. The cream on her back felt good.

"How have you been Tantomile?" Jelly asked with a glance from Jenny.

Tantomile laughed humorlessly. "Aside from the fact that I got hit by a car? Peachy keen."

"You did get sick a few days ago," Pouncival added. Tantomile smiled at him.

"But you took care of that just fine."

"You were sick?" Jenny asked, pausing in her work. "What kind of sick?"

"Just a migraine," Tanti said, waving a paw. "It was gone within a few hours of coming."

Both Jenny and Jelly stopped and stood in front of Tantomile. Jenny was looking at her curiously.

"Have you been hungry more than usual lately?"

"Yes…" Tantomile narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"Have you felt bloated at all?" Jelly wiped cream off her paws with a towel.

"Now that you mention it," Tantomile said, testing how far she could twist her back. "Yeah, I have."

That answer set the two older queens into a whispered conference, both of them looking first unsure, then excited. Pouncival sat on the bed next to Tantomile, taking her paw. She leaned on his shoulder.

Jenny turned away from Jelly, both of them beaming.

"It's a good thing you're sitting down, dear," the Gumbie Cat said. "There's something you need to know."

"What?" Tantomile's heart began racing; her mind had made guesses of its own.

"You're going to have a kitten!"

=^..^=

Coricopat curled up in his den. It was just his now; the news had spread quickly that his sister and Pouncival were going to be mates. He saw the vision flicker across his mind and this time, instead of ignoring it, Coricopat allowed himself to watch…

_Jenny emerged from her medical den, carrying a tiny bundle. She handed the kitten to Pouncival, who was shaking badly. There was a sorrowful expression on the motherly queen's face. "She's not doing good,"_

_Coricopat was quicker than his sister's mate. She was lying on the bed, barely breathing. He checked her pulse. It was as soft as butterfly wings, and it scared him. What would he do if his sister went to Heaviside too soon? What would Pouncival do? He didn't think the other tom would just give up; he had a kitten to look after now. But he doubted anyone would ever see his cheerful side again._

Coricopat blinked, and he realized that tears were running down his face. That was all the vision would ever show him… he didn't know if his sister would live or die.

* * *

**[A/N]** Yet another enthralling chapter . And yet another busy week of school and rehearsals=not likely to update within the next couple of days. But, if I get a good number of reviews (six or more), I might stay up later at night to write and post!

**Musicgal3:** Yeah, I wrote them myself. Let me tell you, it is hard to come up with riddles. I think I sat here for about two hours trying to figure out what to write.

**Nik-Nokkers Anonymous: **I'm glad you could work out who was who! Did you also figure out the meaning?


	17. Chapter 17

All the cats gathered in the center clearing, each and every one of them bristling with excitement. Old Deuteronomy sat on the tire, patiently waiting for the two cats of the evening.

…

Tantomile was sitting behind the oven, surrounded by Jennyanydots, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum as they groomed her fur to perfection. Her back was healed enough that she could walk around, and she and Pouncival had wanted their ceremony as soon as possible. Tantomile absently drew circles on her swollen middle, enjoying the feel of several pairs of gentile claws running through her fur.

…

Pouncival stood at the edge of the clearing next to Tumblebrutus as he waited for the ceremony to begin. He was nervous, but that was normal. Everyone was chatting excitedly; they hadn't had a mating ceremony in a while.

He thought over the last week; the preparations had been almost overwhelming, and the time had flown. But now their special night was finally here.

A hush fell over the crowd as Tantomile entered, looking radiant. Pouncival stepped forward, and the two joined paws in front of Old Deuteronomy, and the ceremony began.

=^..^=

They finally went to bed around two in the morning, in the den Munkustrap had presented them. It had been decorated by Jenny and some of the other queens, and was ready for its new inhabitants.

Tantomile snuggled up to Pouncival, sighing happily. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer resting one paw on her stomach.

"Soon, it'll be three of us," he whispered, kissing her neck. Tantomile giggled; it tickled a bit.

"Goodnight, Pounce." She said, flicking his nose playfully.

"Goodnight."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, purring contentedly.

* * *

[A/N] yeah this is short. But this is all I could fit into my down time.


	18. Chapter 18

Tantomile opened her eyes, wide awake. She stared around at the darkness, trying to figure out what woke her up. After a long while, she decided it was nothing and closed her eyes again. Pouncival's arms tightened around her as he sighed in his sleep, and she smiled. It was exactly two weeks ago that they'd become official mates, and she felt so happy… except where her brother was concerned. He hardly spoke with anyone, and stayed in his den most of the time, moping. Everyone was worried for him…

Tantomile gasped; her stomach was clenched tightly, and was on the verge of being excruciatingly painful. She held her breath, hoping it would pass, exhaling thankfully when it did… before her stomach clenched up again.

"Pouncival…"

She was curled up, trying desperately to keep her claws in. Pouncival sat up, watching her carefully.

"Whats wrong?" he asked, placing a paw on her shoulder.

She grunted something, but Pouncival didn't hear her. He leaned in closer.

"Go get Jenny…" she said, struggling to control her breathing. When Pouncival hesitated at the door, she yelled, "Now! I need her!"

Pouncival darted out the door, pounding through the junkyard towards the Gumbie Cat's den.

"Jenny!" he yelled, banging on the door. She opened it, looking flustered.

"What's wrong Pouncival?"

"Something's wrong with Tantomile," he huffed. "She woke up in pain," he didn't say anything else; he couldn't. Jenny was running as fast as she could towards the den, calling for Jellylorum on her way.

=^..^=

_The world is cold, and I'm all wet. I begin to shiver as I leave my mother's protection. Why did I have to leave, I wonder. I was perfectly fine where I was. Then again, it was getting pretty cramped. I felt huge paws holding me, and soft voices. Those huge paws used something soft to dry me off, and soon I wasn't so cold. _

"_Let me see her," _

_I know that voice! That's Golden Rose! I wriggled with happiness at the thought of being able to touch her at last. I was surprised that the arms that took me weren't as strong as I thought they'd be. She seemed so strong under the tree._

_I stopped wiggling, sensing that she was having trouble holding me. I stretched out a paw, sighing happily when it met her warm fur._

"_She's… beautiful…"_

_What's wrong Golden Rose? I wanted to ask. Why do you seem so weak? I mewed, trying to put my thoughts to words. Of course, I didn't know how._

"_What do you want to name her?"_

_I heard this new voice, from farther away. I listened for it again… the voice sounded friendly._

_Golden Rose sighed like she was trying to talk, but said nothing more. I felt those huge paws taking me from her. I began to cry; why did I have to leave? Why did I always have to leave? I was wrapped in something thick and soft, and was moving. Those huge paws were taking me somewhere._

_I heard more voices, and I was put in more arms. I liked these ones. They were strong, even when they were shaking… like a Mountain! I stretched out my paw, searching for Mountain's warm fur. 'Go to the Golden Rose,' I thought, 'She needs you.'_

_Again, I tried to say this, but it only came out a mew. I waved my paw around some more, hearing an odd sound when it collided with the Mountain's fur. I clenched it as tightly as I could. No one would make me leave again._

=^..^=

Jenny emerged from her medical den, carrying a tiny bundle. She handed the kitten to Pouncival, who was shaking badly. There was a sorrowful expression on the motherly queen's face. "She's not doing good,"

Pouncival watched Coricopat disappear into the den. He knew that was where he should be, but he was scared… scared of what he might find. He looked down at the tiny kitten in his arms. She waved her tiny paw around, wiggling a bit in her blanket. Pouncival chuckled when she hit his chest.

"What's her name?"

Jenny pressed a paw to the kittens' forehead. "Why don't you name her?"

Pouncival swallowed as he gazed at his daughter. "I—I want Tantomile to." He gathered up his courage and entered the den.

Coricopat was crouched next to Tantomile, pressing her paw against his forehead, muttering under his breath. He stayed like that for a good five minutes, until his mutterings ceased and he opened his eyes.

"This is your fault."

Pouncival took a step back. He didn't like the tone in Cori's voice. "What do you mean?"

Coricopat stood abruptly, glaring at the opposing tom. "If you hadn't tried to be a hero when Macavity was here, this wouldn't have happened."

Jenny placed a paw on Cori's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Fate has a way of coming out right in the end," she said cautiously.

"I don't think so," Coricopat's voice was dangerously low. "Not this time."

=^..^=

_What was the Wind doing? Why did the Wind want to destroy the Mountain? I whimpered in Mountain's arms, feeling the arms tighten around me. With my mind I stretched out towards Golden Rose. She was far from me, and I used all my might to pull her back. In my mind's eye I saw the oak tree. She was sitting under it, looking at her paws like she didn't know what to do next. I ran to her._

"_Golden Rose," I said. I was glad I could see in this world. "The Wind is preparing to conquer the Mountain!"_

_She looked at me, surprised. "What should I do?"_

_I pushed against the separating barrier, throwing my small arms around her waist. "Come back to us," I pleaded. "They need you. I need you." I stared up at her, seeing her face and taking it in. "You promised you would take care of me, remember?"_

=^..^=

Pouncival tightened his arms around the tiny queen, praying that Cori would have the sense not to attack while he was holding her.

"What are you saying?" Pouncival demanded. "That you would rather she be unhappy her whole life?"

"I'm saying we would have been better off!"

"How?"

Coricopat didn't answer. He just crouched down, a seemingly permanent snarl fixed on his face. He lunged forward, and Pouncival turned his back, shielding his daughter from Cori's extended claws.

"Stop!"

Coricopat and Pouncival turned around at the sound of Tantomile's voice. She was looking at them, her eyes half-closed, with her paws outstretched. Coricopat's face burned as he left the den. Tantomile watched him leave sadly. She turned her yellow eyes to the kitten queen, holding her arms out again.

Pouncival gently placed her in Tantomile's waiting arms, kissing her forehead. "What do you want to name her?"

Tantomile studied the little queen's face, thinking. "I think," she said finally, "Willow."

=^..^=

After a good rest, Tantomile was fit to stand, and she and Pouncival presented Willow to the tribe. She had patches of black and grey, and some small spots of brown. Tantomile didn't say it, but she knew that when Willow opened her eyes, they would be a vibrant green, only to turn yellow when she sensed the future.

Old Deuteronomy approached the proud parents, holding his paws out for the little queen. He held her carefully, muttering a blessing as he held her up high for all to see.

=^..^=

_I knew it was still cold, but the cold was coming from the ground. I loved the way the sun shone on my face, feeling ten times warmer than it had in my dreams. There were so many voices, and I tried my best to memorize them. I already knew that Golden Rose was 'mother', and Mountain was 'father', and that I loved both of them very much._

_After I was lifted closer to the sun, I was put back in mother's arms. Over and over again I heard voices saying things, things that I didn't understand yet, but my favorite was when the friendly voice I heard earlier say, "She looks just like you, Tantomile."_

_Tantomile… Was that mother's name? I pushed the questions from my mind, knowing they would all be answered eventually, and fell asleep in mother's arms._


	19. Epilogue

Coricopat sat alone on the arm of a couch, watching the clouds drift across the sky. He glanced to his side; Willow had appeared almost out of nowhere, and was staring at him.

"Can I sit with you, Uncle Cori?" she asked.

Coricopat nodded, and the young queen sat close, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" she said, her big green eyes watching the sky. Cori said nothing; he just listened to his niece as she began to hum a little melody. "I know why you're so sad," she said quietly.

"Enlighten me."

Willow turned to look at Coricopat, her eyes turning yellow. She looked sad.

"_No one can run with the Wind._"

Cori shivered as Willow's eyes returned to normal color. Nobody understood her riddles, not even her. But they did seem strange.

She blinked. "I wonder who the wind is…" she mused.

Cori swallowed, his mind guessing who it was. "I don't want to know," he said softly.

~FIN~

Thank you so much for all who've read and reviewed! I love knowing that what I write is enjoyed by others! It makes me sad that I'm not playing with this story anymore, but there will be plenty others! Make sure you watch for a sort of sequel to this, "My Brother, Romeo"!! Happy reading!


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